Nature's Ancient Sentinels

Still standing guard but finally yielding to the test of time and harsh alpine conditions, these ancient bristle-cone pines leave behind their twisted skeletons among new growth on the slopes of Mount Goliath in the Mount Evans Wilderness near Denver, Colorado. Bristle-cone pines are thought to be the oldest of living single-organisms on earth. Some of these trees at Mount Goliath are believed to be over 1,700 years old while some in California are over 3,000 years.